AEP to Buy Renewable Energy with Shareholder Money

In mid-February AEP Ohio’s parent company, American Electric Power, announced that its unregulated subsidiary would invest over a billion shareholder dollars to acquire renewable energy that the company believes will provide additional shareholder value. The announcement is in contrast to AEP Ohio’s regulatory proposal pending at the PUCO which would force all AEP customers to subsidize a similar investment on the regulated-side, shifting risk from shareholders to its customers.

“If AEP Ohio wants to build new generation, the company’s shareholders – not its customers – should be doing the investing and taking on the risk. We are glad to see they are now doing that and expect they will discontinue efforts to ask the PUCO to approve their filing that would make customers foot the bill to develop renewable generation in Ohio,” said Bradley Belden, President, The Belden Brick Company, and chair of the OMA Energy Group. 2/28/2019